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kellymerka.bsky.social
KM is looking for work!
@kellymerka.bsky.social
590 followers 800 following 1.2K posts
writer & editor, open for work! kmnelsonmail (at) gmail (dot) com // managing editor, startmenu.co.uk // editor/QA, Interstate 35, @radiantarray.bsky.social // she/her
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kellymerka.bsky.social
The eyes of animals with horizontal pupils — like goats and sheep — rotate so that the pupil is always parallel to the ground
For the hypothesized benefit to occur, the long axis of the pupil in these lateral-eyed animals should maintain alignment with earth horizontal. Specifically, the eyes should rotate about the optic axes in response to changes in head pitch (that is, nose up and nose down). Because the eyes are positioned laterally, the rotation should be opposite in direction in the two eyes: that is, cyclovergence. Compensatory cyclovergence with head pitch is indeed observed in mammals with lateral eyes. For example, the rabbit exhibits cyclovergence in response to changes in head pitch with a gain (amount of eye rotation divided by amount of head pitch) of ~0.7 (42). However, rabbits have circular pupils. We went to farms and zoos and observed five lateral-eyed species with horizontally elongated pupils: sheep, goat, horse, white-tailed deer, and moose. With changes in head pitch of ~70°, the eyes counter-rolled with a gain of at least 0.7. These observations are documented in photographs and a video in fig. S2. Thus, in animals with lateral eyes, compensatory eye movements in response to changes in head pitch maintain rough alignment of the long axis of the pupil with the ground plane: horizontal pupils parallel to the ground and vertical slits perpendicular to it. These observations confirm our prediction that the functional advantage conferred by elongated pupils is maintained as the head pitches. For grazers like sheep and horse, this means that the pupil maintains rough alignment with the projection of the ground as the animal holds the head upright to scan the environment and pitches the head downward to graze. Many species with lateral eyes have streak retinas with high receptor density centered on the eye's horizontal meridian (1, 32, 40). Compensatory eye movements with head pitch also help align the streak with the projection of the ground.
November 21, 2025 at 3:31 AM
kellymerka.bsky.social
Blueprint for my first Room 46 run. Labeled for spoilers.
Screenshot of the Mount Holly Estate blueprint. Screenshot of the Mt. Holly post-run summary screen, subtitled "Your New Home."
November 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
the great thing about @deepvellum.bsky.social is that not only do they automatically also send you an ebook when you order a physical copy, but they ship FAST. I ordered this on Wednesday!!
A person holds a copy of Alla Gorbunova's (Th)ings and (Th)oughts in their right hand. The book was translated by Elina Alter. The cover features a bipedal wolf with two additional wolf heads in place of its hands.
November 7, 2025 at 7:34 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
I was there :3
A poor quality photo of Space Shuttle Atlantis' final launch taken from the causeway at Cape Canaveral.
November 3, 2025 at 6:54 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
been a while since I broke out the STS-135 mug
A person holds a coffee mug emblazoned with the logo for NASA Space Shuttle mission STS-135 in their right hand.
November 3, 2025 at 6:54 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
happy halloween from me and my personal supply of LCL
A selfie of a person wearing an EVA UNIT 01 hat and an Evangelion hoodie with three pumpkins.
November 1, 2025 at 12:38 AM
kellymerka.bsky.social
migration season
A monarch butterfly rests on the ground with its wings open.
October 30, 2025 at 3:57 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
I've actually had this six-20 brownie junior sitting on a shelf for years but always assumed it didn't have any film in it... maybe I should investigate...
A six-20 brownie junior box camera sits on a bookshelf.
October 26, 2025 at 6:26 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
so much to do ... yet I keep having ideas ...
Horse in sea captioned "I just need to lock in"
October 22, 2025 at 9:36 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
friendship with me = getting spammed with photos and video of whatever animals are in my vicinity at any given moment 🤠
A tricolor goat stands in a field, with additional goats behind her. The same tricolor goat gnaws on the side of a can of waterloo sparkling water.
October 17, 2025 at 4:19 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
he's at it again
October 17, 2025 at 12:13 AM
kellymerka.bsky.social
self care, caprine-style
October 16, 2025 at 9:09 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time?
October 16, 2025 at 9:07 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
successful resupply
A goat attempts to chew on a can of waterloo sparkling water being held by the photographer.
October 16, 2025 at 3:20 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
Tragedy! In the goat field
A lone can of waterloo sparkling water lies on its side where it fell into the grass. The photographer's legs and feet are visible at the bottom of the frame.
October 16, 2025 at 3:03 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
🐓
A brown chicken poses among 3 pumpkins growing on the vine.
October 15, 2025 at 12:09 AM
kellymerka.bsky.social
well hello to you too
An awkward photo of a brown goat with moonspots standing in a field with her tongue sticking out.
October 15, 2025 at 12:07 AM
kellymerka.bsky.social
Post you from a different era.

The more things change, the more they stay the same...
October 13, 2025 at 8:48 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
I checked my book and it offers this variant that is purportedly easier:
A photo of a page from the book Cast On Bind Off. It reads: "Long-Tail Cast On: Thumb Version. This is a variation of the Long-Tail Cast On that is easier for some folks than holding the yarn in the traditional slingshot position. The result is the same as the standard Long-Tail Cast On. CHARACTERISTICS: Edge is elastic and attractive. First row begins with wrong side (private side) of work. GOOD FOR: Any stitch pattern and any project." A photo of a page from the book Cast On Bind Off. It reads: "Working the Cast On. 1) Measure out a tail of yarn using whatever method you prefer (page 13). Make a slip knot and place it on the needle. Hold the needle and working yarn in your right hand. 2) Wrap the tail end around your left thumb counterclockwise (yarn comes from needle to inside thumb and wraps around to outside of thumb). Using the other fingers of your left hand to grasp the tail, insert needle tip under the thumb loop. 3) Holding the needle with your left hand, use your right hand to wrap the working yarn around the needle." A photo of a page from the book Cast On Bind Off. It reads: "4) Pass thumb loop over the needle tip and pull the strand to tighten the stitch. 5) Repeat steps 2-4 for the desired number of stitches."
October 11, 2025 at 6:39 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
I'm replying way too much but since you also mentioned it... here's one of my family's goats
A black and brown buckskin goat with moonspots stands in a field. A black and brown buckskin goat with moonspots looks skeptically at the camera. Several other goats are standing behind her. A black and brown buckskin goat with moonspots with her tongue sticking out. Several other goats are standing behind her.
October 11, 2025 at 5:44 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
While I'm at it, this one is SO USEFUL because cast-ons/bind-offs can make or break a project
Cast On Bind Off: 54 Step-by-Step Methods (Leslie Ann Bestor)
October 11, 2025 at 5:40 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
Found it! I like this one because it remains useful even as you advance because there's an extensive dictionary of various techniques and stitches
A worn copy of Teach Yourself Visually: Knitting (Sharon Turner)
October 11, 2025 at 5:29 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
w/o downloading anything new, where are you mentally?
A screenshot from The Ring, but instead of the ghost exiting the TV, a white cat has been photoshopped to look like it has crawled halfway out of the screen.
October 6, 2025 at 10:56 PM
kellymerka.bsky.social
my writing career summed up in one image
Mulder asks a black cat "hello are you a ufo"
October 2, 2025 at 2:23 AM
kellymerka.bsky.social
lots of orb weavers and other bugs around the farm

cw: arachnophobia
A large black and yellow orb weaver spider sits in the middle of her web in a barn stall. A brown and green beetle clings to a green metal gate. A wasp sits atop a cluster of small white flowers. A yellow and black orb weaver spider sits on a web attached to a gate. On the left, a brown cicada shell is also attached to the gate, left behind by a molted nymph.
September 26, 2025 at 3:01 PM